Kenya Basketball Federation chairman Paul Otula (left) greats Thunder Basketball Team players Ariel Okall and Garang Dhing during a training session at Nyayo National Stadium on November 20, 2024.
Distinguished as a career educationalist, basketball coach and sports administrator, the late Paul Agali Otula's legacy spans decades. It is a legacy of transformative leadership in academia and sports.
The former Kenya Basketball Federation chairman who passed away on May 1, aged 61, following a cardiac arrest, was an architect of opportunity, a mentor of champions, and a true servant of the nation whose impact lives on in the classrooms he inspired, the courts he elevated, and the lives he transformed.
Kenya Basketball Federation Secretary General Angela Luchivya rightfully said that Otula's shoes are too big to fill, adding that Kenya sports fraternity has lost a gem.
"As a federation, we are still struggling to come to terms with this huge loss which will not only be felt in basketball circles, but also in other sports disciplines and general sports administrations," Luchvya said.
The casket bearing the remains of Paul Otula during the burial ceremony at his home in Oyombe, Rachuonyo North, Homa Bay County on May 23, 2025.
Peter Orero, the Kenya Basketball Federation Treasurer, who was the chairman of the late Otula's funeral committee, said a majority of the Kenyan players in the current national basketball and rugby teams came through the youth programmes that were a brainchild of Otula.
Orero said the basketball standards in Kenya have gone up tremendously because of Otual’s input.
According to Orero, who was Otula's colleague in the teaching profession where they both served as chief principals, it was the former basketball boss who ensured Kenya participated in youth basketball tournaments for the first time ever in 2008.
This helped in identifying the current crop of players Kenya has in the national team.
"When we came into the basketball administration, the first thing Otula thought of was the formation of the under-18 boys and under-18 girls youth basketball teams. He ensured the teams participated in Fiba Zone Five championships with personal donations from him and myself because the government did not fund qualifiers," Orero said.
He added that Otula spent a lot of money to take the boys’ and girls’ teams to Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania for Zone Five qualifiers.
Thereafter, Otula ensured that Kenya participated in all international basketball events, something that elevated the standards of the game in the country.
When Otula took over the management of the game, as KBF chairman in 2008, the national men's basketball team, Kenya Morans, and women’s team, Kenya Lionesses, had not participated in international events for one decade. Otula immediately assembled the two teams and Kenya started to regularly participate in the AfroBasket qualifiers.
In 2015, the Morans won the AfroBasket Zone Five Championship and finished runners-up at the AfroCan tournament in Mali, marking Kenya’s comeback to the international basketball stage after almost three decades.
Meanwhile, the Lionesses steadily climbed the continental ranks, reaching the top 10 under Otula’s leadership.
Following the introduction of 3x3 as an Olympic sport in 2016, Otula championed the rise of the abridged game in Kenya. Kenya women’s team claimed their first-ever continental title in Cairo when they won the 2023 Fiba 3x3 Africa Cup.
Both Kenya’s men’s and women’s 3x3 teams qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The women’s side reached the semi-finals, while the men made it to the quarter-finals.
Otula also spearheaded Kenya’s participation at the Fiba 3x3 Youth Nations League (2025) with Under-21 and Under-23 teams set to participate and hopefully build Olympic qualification points for Los Angeles 2028.
Since last week, Nairobi City Thunder have been playing in the Basketball Africa League Nile Conference in Kigali together with Rwanda’s APR, Al Ahly Tripoli of Libya and South Africa’s Made By Ball Basketball.
This is the first time that a Kenyan team is playing in this elite continental tournament, another key indicator of Otula’s great input to the game.
"Otula who was not only a friend and colleague, he was a team player who embraced a culture of holistic growth of the youth. A celebrated administrator who steered the federation away from leadership wrangles," Orero who is also Kibra Member of Parliament said.
Otula began his teaching career at Mang’u High School in 1998 after graduating from Kenyatta University with a Bachelor of Education degree.
He taught English and coached basketball, tapping on his expertise of the game having played as a centre for the then feared Pirates of Kenyatta University.
His passion for mentorship and academic excellence quickly propelled him to the roles of Deputy Principal and later Principal of the school in 1997.
Otula upheld his principles when he declined to give a tender to a board member at Mangu, leading to his transfer to Jamhuri High School in 2001.
He declined the transfer, while seeking answers to why he was being demoted for being accountable.
The Ministry of Education inexplicably interdicted him, but following the intervention of senior government officials, he was reinstated and transferred to Maseno School as Principal, ushering in a golden era of both academic and athletic achievements for the Western-based institute.
Maseno School students and their Principal Paul Otula celebrate their good performance in KCSE results at their school in 2006.
During his 16-year tenure, Maseno rose to national prominence. Their rugby team represented Kenya at the Dubai Sevens, while their basketball team won the Engen Africa Youth Basketball Championship in South Africa in 2003.
Otula also introduced Aviation Technology in the school’s curriculum and led Maseno to top national rankings in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, cementing his reputation as an innovator in education.
In subsequent years, several of Otula’s students got both academic and basketball scholarships in the USA, among them Tom Bush Wamukota, who now plies his trade in Rwanda and Ronnie Gundo, currently a junior NBA coordinator.
Approach to education
In 2018, Otula took up leadership at Sunshine Secondary School in Nairobi, where he continued to blend academic rigour with a strong extracurricular programme.
His holistic approach to education placed great emphasis on character, discipline, and leadership, which left Sunshine Secondary School in the schools’ sports map.
Sunshine has regularly produces swimmers to represent Nairobi at the national secondary school games, including at this year’s championships in Mombasa.
Otula served at Sunshine until 2021, when he stepped down to pursue a political career. He unsuccessfully vied for the Karachuonyo parliamentary seat in the 2022 General Elections.
Maseno School Principal Paul Otula (left) receives the inaugural Principal of the Year Award trophy from Education Minister Prof Sam Ongeri in Mombasa in 2008.
His impact in education mentorship is profound. In recognition of his lifelong service to education and sports, Otula received the Head of State Commendation (HSC) 2005 and the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) in 2015.
He authored the influential book “Mastery of Modern School Administration”, which offered insights into effective leadership in Kenya’s educational sector. He was also honoured by the Teachers Service Commission as Principal of the Year Award (POYA) in 2008, a very first for principals in Kenya.
Otula was elected to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) executive in 2017 and re-elected in 2021. He played a vital role in policy and governance reforms across Kenyan sport.
Otula was admired for his humility, conflict-resolution skills, and unifying presence.
At the time of his death, Otula was a candidate for Deputy Treasurer in the NOC-K elections that were postponed last month.
Otula was buried on Friday at his home in Kanyaluo in Rachuonyo North, Homa Bay County.
